Fastener



NOV. 24, 1931. KERN FASTENER Filed Dec. 22, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l M s Jmm m E O Vf ,A m E m .Y r7 7 m 4/ 1 a E. KERN FASTENER Nov. 24, 1931.

Filed Dec. 22, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR rn/ lfcr'q BY v ATTORNEYSPatented Nov. 24, 1931 UNITEDQSTATES,

PATENT OFFICE g EMIL KERN, OF FLUSHING, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO ACCOPRODUCTS, INC., OF LONG ISLAND CITY, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORKV FASTENER Application filed December 22, 1930; Serial No 503,865.

This invention relates to fasteners which are used to secure letters,documents and the like for filing, and particularly to fasteners havingtwo spaced tongues which pass through the papers to be secured andthrough similarly spaced perforations in a retainer 5 in the followingspecification with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig.1 is a plan view of the fastener showin the application thereof to thepapers:

F g. 2 is an enlarged section on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlargedsection on the line 33 of Fig. 1; i

Fig. 4: is a sectional view similar to Fig.

3, i lustrating the operation of the fastener;

Fig. 5 is anenlarged sectional view illustra ing the method of unlockingthe tongues;

Fig. 6 is a view in perspective of the fastener;

Fig. 7 is an. enlarged sectionalview of a slichtlv modified form ofthefastener:

Fi 8 is a View in perspective of a slightly mo ified form of the keeper;and

Fig. 9 is a similar view of another form of the keeper.

Referring to the drawin s. 5 i dicates the base of a fastener havingspaced tongues 6 formed inte ra -1v therewith and adapted to be bent asindic ted to pass through a file of papers 7. The ends of the tongues 60 project through perforations 8 near the ends of a keeper 9 which restsupon the uppermost paper of the file.

The keeper 9 consists of a strip-0f metal having two longitudinal ribs10 on the up per surface thereof the ribs being formed by pressing orotherwise forcing up the body of the strip. Flanges 10 are shaped toengage the papers 7. The keeper is provided with the perforations 8hereinbefore'mentioned.

To permit locking of the tongues 6 after they have passed through theperforations 8, the ribs 10 are preferably formed as indicated in Figs.3, 4 and 5, that is to say, they are curved inwardly, or toward eachother, approaching the top of the ribs so as to afford a recess at thebottom of the keeper slightly wider than the shortest distance betweenthe opposed surfaces of the ribs, so that the tongue 6 when bent andpressed downwardly as indicated in Fig. 4 may be forced pasttheprojecting rounded surfaces of the ribs into the recess, in which theyare firmly locked. The natural resiliency'of the metal when 'bent'in theform indicated in Figs. 3. sand 5. permits the ribs to spring apartslightly when the tongues are forced downwardly, so that the tonguesreadily pass into the recess. The necessary curvature of the ribs isslightly exaggerated in Figs. 3,

4 and 5 of the drawings for the purpose of illustration. The naturalresiliency of the metal may be augmented by providing a lon- Y cilitatedby making them slightly wider at their free ends. Thus, for example, thetongues may taper inwardly from the free ends toward the base. asindicated in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The tapering iseX-aggerated in thedrawings for purposes of illustration. The slightly wider ends of thetongues engage the opposed surfaces of the ribs and are securely helduntil released in the manner described. 7

To release the fastener, any suitable instrument may be inserted tospring the ribs slightly and thus permit the withdrawal of the tongues.I prefer to provide the keeper w th chamfered ends 12 forming wedges.()ne of these wedges at the end of a keeper may be employed as indicatedin Fig. 5 to spriugthe ribs and thus to release the tongues Gfroni therecess. /Vhen released, the tongues can be bent to the upright positionas indicated in Fig. 6, and the keeper can, then be withdrawn, thusreleasing the papers or other documents in the file.

In Fig. 7 of the drawings, I have illustrated a slightly modified formof the invention in which a base 13 is provided with tongues 14 adaptedto engage the keeper 15 as in the preferred embodiment. The keeper 15 isprovided with ribs 16, the opposite faces of which are substantiallystraight and spaced a distance corresponding to the width of the tongues14:. In this form of the device, the tongues 14 are bent after they havepassed through suitable g'ierforations in the keeper and engage theopposed straight walls of the recess formed by the ribs 16. The width ofthe tongues 14 and the distance between the opposed faces of the ribs 16are such that the edges of the tongues ei'igage the opposed faces of theribs in the recess and are firmly held in locked position. The tongues14 may be tapered as in the preceding embodiment of the invention.Preferably the keeper is provided with a longitudinal slot 1? to affordadditional resiliency. Thus, when the tongues 1% are forced into therecess the ribs may be spread slightly to ensure ample friction. Thetongues may be released as in the preceding embodiment of the inventionby inserting any suitable instrument such the wedge formed at the end ofthe keeper as shown in Fig. 5.

As indicated in Fig. 8 the keeper 18 may be constructed as shown ineither Fig. 3 or Fig. 7 except for the omission of the longitudinal slotbetween the ribs 19 and slots 20 may be formed in the flanges 21.Perforations 22 may be provided to receive the tongues of the fasteneras in the preceding embodiments of the invention. In Fig. 9 thestructure is as shown in Fig. 8, except for the provision of a pluralityof spaced slots 23 in the flanges 21.

The fastener as herein described avoids the necessity for providingslides or other similar locking means on the keeper. The structure andoperation of the device are extremely simple.

Various changes may be made within the scope of the accompanying claimswithout departing from the invention or sacrificing any of theadvantages thereof.

I claim:

A fastener comprising a base having spaced tongues and a keeper withsimilarly spaced perforations to receive the tongues, and longitudinalribs on the keeper forming a recess into which the tongues may be bent;the opposed faces of th recess beim; adapted to ei'zgage and hold theedges of the tongues.

2. A fastener comprising a base having spaced tongues and a keeper ithsimilarly spaced perforations to recaivo the tongues and a longitudinalslot, and longitudinal ribs on the keeper forming a recess into whichthe tongues may be bent; the opposed faces of the recess being adaptedto engage and hold the edges of the tongues.

3. A fastener comprising a base having spaced tongues and a keeper withsimilarly spaced perforations to receive the tongues, and longitudinalribs on the keeper forming a recess into which the tongues may be bent;the opposed faces of the recess being adapted to engage and hold theedges of the tongues, one end of the keeper being wet shaped.

4. A fastener comprising a base having spaced tongues and a keeper withsimilarly spaced perforations to receive the tongues and longitudinalribs on the keeper forming a recess into which the tongues may be bent:the opposed faces of the recess being curved inwardly toward the top ofthe recess and adapted to engage and hold the edges of the tongues.

5. A fastener comprising a base having spaced tongues and a keeper withsimilarly spaced perforations to receive the tongues and a longitudinalslot, and longitudinal ribs on the keeper forming a recess into whichthe tongues may be bent; the opposed faces of the recess being curvedinwardly toward the top of the recess and adapted to engage and hold theedges of the tongues.

6. A fastener comprising a base haying spaced tongues and a keeper withsimilarly spaced perforations to receive the tongues, and longitudinalribs on the keeper forming a recess into which the tongues may be bent.the opposed faces of the recess being curved inwardly toward the top ofthe recess and adapted to engage and hold the edges of the tongues, oneend of the keeper being wedgeshaped.

7. A fastener comprising a base having spaced tongues wider at theirfree ends than at the base and a keeper with similarly spacedperforations to receive the tongues, and longitudinal ribs on the keeperforming a re cess into which the tongues may be bent; the opposed facesof the recess being adapted to engage and hold the edges of the tongues.

8. A fastener comprising a base having spaced tongues wider at theirfree ends than at the base and a keeper with similarly spacedperforations to receive the tongues and a longitudinal slot, andlongitudinal ribs on the keeper forming a recess into which the tonguesmay be bent; the opposed faces of the recess being adapted to engage andhold the edges of the tongues.

9. A fastener comprising a base having spaced tongues wider at theirfree ends than at the base and a keeper with similarly spacedperforations to receive the tongues, and longitudinal ribs on the keeperforming a recess into which the tongues may be bent; the opposed facesof the recess being adapted to engage and hold the edges of the tongues,one end of the keeper being Wedge-shaped.

ice

10. A fastener comprising a base having spaced tongues wider at theirfree ends than at the base and a keeper with similarly spacedperforations to receive the tongues and longitudinal ribs on the keeperforming a recess into which the tongues may be bent; the opposed facesof the recess being curved inwardly toward the top of the recess andadapted to engage and hold the edges of the tongues.

11. A fastener comprising a base having spaced tongues wider at theirfree ends than at the base and a keeper with similarly spacedperforations to receive the tongues and a longitudinal slot, andlongitudinal ribs on the keeper forming a recess into which the tonguesmay be bent; the opposed faces of the recess being curved inwardlytoward the top of the recess and adapted to engage and hold the edges ofthe tongues.

12. A fastener comprising a base having spaced tongues wider at theirfree ends than at the base and a keeper with similarly spacedperforations to receive the tongues, and longitudinal ribs on the keeperforming a recess into which the tongues may be bent, the opposed facesof the recess being curved inwardly toward the top of the recess andadapted to engage and hold the edges of the tongues, one end of thekeeper being wedgeshaped.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

EMIL KERN.

D s 6 LA! M E R 1,832,935.Emil Kern, Flushing, N. Y. FASTENER. Patentdated November 24,

1931. Disclaimer filed October 23, 1933, by the assignee, Acco Products,Inc. Hereby disclaims: From claims 1 and 7 of said Letters Patent, anyfastener in which the longitudinal ribs on the keeper are not spacedfrom the longitudinal edges of the keeper. [Ojicial Gazette November 14,1933. 4

